Temperatures to match Bordeaux
IRELAND faces the prospect of having average temperatures akin to Bordeaux in the south of France unless the world moves to tackle climate change.
And Dr Martin Parry, former co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said yesterday the science was unequivocal -- global warming was happening, and billions of people would face severe flooding and drought unless we changed our ways.
Speaking at the EPA's annual conference in Croke Park yesterday, Dr Parry said that governments were doing "extremely little" to tackle climate change, despite warnings from the scientific community.
A temperature rise of two degrees -- which most experts agreed would happen -- would result in increased damage from floods and storms, with up to three million put at risk of coastal flooding every year.
Temperature rises above this could see up to 15 million people affected, leading to a loss of 30pc of coastal wetlands. Up to two billion people would experience water shortages, heatwaves would become commonplace and wildlife would be threatened.
"In 2003, 5,000 people died in Europe because of the heatwave. By 2050, we expect 2003 to be happening every second year," he said.
- Paul Melia
